1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing system for printing an image together with related information and more particularly, to control of a position where the related information is printed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Printing systems are known in which a plurality of images received from an image input apparatus are suitably laid out and printed on a single sheet of paper. In general, this kind of printing system is sorted into two types, according to the image layout method.
In one type of printing system, a user specifies the number of images to be printed on a single sheet of paper, so that a printing system automatically determines the size of the images, as well as the locations where the images are to be printed. This method is suitably used when at-a-glance check of many mages is desired, or when the sheet carrying the printed images is divided into pieces or segments of an identical size, each segment carrying one image.
In general, this type of printing system employs a seal paper dividable into 16 segments. This type of seal paper usually has 16 severable blocks arranged in four columns and four lines, each block when severed being usable as a seal. Papers are available having perforations formed along the boundaries of the blocks for easy severance. Printing of a multiplicity of images at a time on such a seal paper advantageously saves time and cost of the sheet.
In general, this type of printing system is designed to automatically trim or rotate independent images so that all the images are laid-out for printing in an equal size to fully occupy the printable areas available on the sheet for printing.
In another type of printing system, the user is allowed to freely select the printing conditions such as the printing position, size and the orientation of each image so that the printing system automatically arranges the images in accordance with the printing conditions selected by the user. This type of printing system advantageously enables free layout of the images based on the user's taste, although it requires laborious work for selecting the printing conditions for each of the images.
This type of printing system provides a print product which is equivalent to an album containing many snap photos and, therefore, can greatly reduce the work for producing two or more sets of albums of the same layout.
Printing systems are also known which print an image together with information that is related to the image and that has been simultaneously recorded with the recording of the image. For instance, there is a printing system which prints photographic images recorded by a camera together with the dates of the shots, so that the dates the photographs were taken can be easily recognized on the product print.
This kind of printing system, capable of printing images together with related information, can be sorted into two types, according to the position where the related is information is printed: namely, a printing system of a type that prints the related information in a marginal area outside the frame of the image, and a printing system of a type that prints the related information such that the related information is superimposed on a portion of the image.
A printing system is also known which permits, prior to execution of printing on a sheet, a manual adjustment of the positions where the related information is to be printed.
The printing systems of the kind described, which simultaneously prints images and related information recorded at the same time as the recording of images, may provide undesirable printing results depending on the print positions of the related information and the arrangement of the images.
This problem is encountered with, for example, a printing system which automatically sizes and arranges a plurality of images while printing information relating to the images on marginal regions outside the images. When the individual printed images are severed, therefore, the related information may be separated from the images. Consequently, the severed images have to be distributed or otherwise used without being accompanied by the related information. To obviate such a problem, it is necessary to take a suitable countermeasure such as manual readjustment of printing positions of the related information or reduction of the printed image size so as to preserve information printing regions within the printable areas of the blocks on the sheet.
A problem is also encountered with a printing system of the type which affords a user to select the printing positions and sizes of the images, while printing related information in a manner superimposed on a part of the associated image. When this type of system is used, it is necessary to manually change the printing position of the related information on all the images, in order that parts of the images are not hidden by the printed related information.
For instance, when the images are arranged to have the greatest possible size without preserving any margin for the printing of the related information, part of each image is undesirably hidden by the printed related information. Conversely, when margins are preserved for printing information such as date, the size of the images are undesirably reduced.
FIG. 3 shows a layout of images used in a case where the requirement for maximizing the size of the images is not so critical. In this layout, all the images are oriented upright for easier at-a-glance observation, with some of the images having been rotated through 90°. This image layout affords sufficiently large marginal areas. However, superimposition of date information on the images makes it difficult to observe these images which have already been reduced in size.
Hitherto, no image processing method and apparatus have been proposed which permit easy determination as to whether information related to images is to be printed within or outside the images, depending on the arrangement of the images.